Reconnecting Through Color
Prelude, Fugue & Riffs Fall/Winter 2021/2022
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by Patrick Bolek
T
his summer, after 16 months of supplying online support, the Artful Learning team was finally able to reconnect “live” with our heroic educators across the country. During
the summer’s professional learning sessions, the Artful Learning Trainers modeled the processes described below for teachers, who could then use these strategies in the fall with their students in the classroom. Collaborative Color Connection invited the participants to use only
primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to mix the entire color spectrum. The process entailed first creating secondary colors (violet, orange, green) and then mixing again to make the tertiary colors (brown, olive, slate). Everyone first put on white vinyl gloves and then added specific amounts of the primary colors onto the palms of their gloved hands. Each person had to interact, glove to glove, with a nearby designated partner to create a secondary color, collectively producing the entire color spectrum, which was then hand-stamped onto paper. The challenge increased when everyone was instructed to find a different “primary color” partner to make the tertiary colors. Partners had to work together to determine which color was needed, and in what quantities, to develop their tertiary color blend. Many teachers and principals had not seen or met each other throughout the pandemic. Our approach provided an engaging way to enhance introductions, create movement around the room, and use critical thinking and problem-solving skills by working together. Plus—ingeniously—glove contact is safe! Another strategy in the summer session explored how to use the arts to define personal identity. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) anchors have always been built directly into the Artful Learning framework; all the arts-based skills and strategies our teachers use daily are infused with these crucial components. Since many districts require that SEL become incorporated into the school-wide culture, and Artful Learning Schools already employ these SEL anchors, it was time to design an artistic process that would officially demonstrate how a creativity-driven curriculum can deliver on this claim.
